This weekend we celebrated Mr. N’s birthday. I can’t believe my little baby boy is now seven years old! Where does the time go? We had a wonderful weekend full of birthday activities – a party, a trip to the zoo, a big dinner and lots of play time. Tonight, since it’s Mr. N’s special day, we let him choose our meal and his dessert. We’ll share all the deliciousness with you over the next few days, but since it is a celebration, we thought we’d start with dessert.

Every year for the past four years, Mr. N has requested a blackberry cobbler for his birthday dessert. But this isn’t just any blackberry cobbler, it’s my Grandma’s Blackberry Cobbler. This has been my all-time favorite dessert since I was running around in pig-tails and it’s been the family favorite for at least four generations!

I still remember the first time I tried to make this dish. I baked it for my dad – and it was awful. He tried to choke it down, but it was honestly so bad that he couldn’t finish his bowl (and that’s saying something!). Then I found a raspberry tart recipe and it came close to replicating Grandma’s cobbler, but it was still off. So when I was expecting Mr. N I asked my grandma if I could come for the weekend to learn her cobbler recipe. Like most good cooks, she doesn’t have a recipe or measurements written down; and this was one dessert I needed to know how to make and share with my growing family. I’ve made several cobblers since that weekend and if Mr. N and my dad are any indication – I’ve gotten this thing down pretty good. Thanks Grandma! Continue reading →